TRACE | The Most Advanced Activity Monitor For Action Sports

Andrew Little / November 24, 2013

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Andrew Little

TRACE (Overview)

In the world of action sports, Trace is looking to give an industry that sorely needs technology. ActiveReplay’s product, Trace, is small device that sticks either on your surfboard, skateboard or snowboard and will track certain data sets such as speed, airtime, and distance. Trace syncs with a free mobile app that will track these features and allow you to compare with friends and other action sports enthusiasts across the world.

Surfers will be able to track metrics such as how fast and long your rides were with the amount of big airs or sharp turns you had. Skaters will be able to track things like how many kickflips you landed or how high your ollie was. Finally, the snowboarders will be able to collect data indicating their speed, airtime, and even how many runs you went on.

This project was funded on Kickstarter 2 months ago raising over $160,000 and over 1,000 backers. They are now seeking an investment of $1,000,000 dollars on AngelList with a $6,000,000 valuation. After we analyze the team, I’ll tell you why this product and team are amazing.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZsP0_D-roY[/youtube]

TEAM (Credibility)

Co-Founder – David Lokshin was raised in Southern California and is an avid action sports fan. He graduated from Harvard with BA in Applied Mathematics in 2008 and went on to become an Options Trader at Barclays Capital before becoming an entrepreneur.

Co-Founder – Dr. Anatole Lokshin was the CTO for Magellan for 12 years. He was apart of team that spearheaded the invention of GPS and navigation technology.

The team is also joined by Steve Lauria who sports a Master’s in Advanced Art direction. Sasha Sheng, software engineer out of University of Michigan and Brian Bal who worked on apps like Yelp and Direct TV.

This team is absolutely perfect. Not only is their collective resume overly impressive but they bring the perfect blend of youth and veteran leadership to the team. Their product specializes in tracking detailed mathematical data sets that are being calculated by a device under the same umbrella as a GPS. That could not be more up David and Anatole’s alley.

Trace is then sending these data sets to a mobile app that has to be written is extremely complex. Both of which must send data to iOS and Android, which is nothing alike. Brian Bal and Sasha Sheng will be able to handle these issues. Finally the device and UI experience is being marketed to an extremely fashionable and trendy market. Judging from Steve Lauria’s background and some early screen shots on the UI, I think this team has what it takes to be on GoPro’s level.

MARKET (Validation)

As mentioned previously, they raised over $160,000 on Kickstarter from over 1,000 backers. In their previous, but similar product, Active Replay, they 250,000 active users. They experienced continuous growth from their initial launch in 2011 and have also partnered with 6 ski resorts.

CONCLUSION

I love this team and product. Each member of the team brings a special expertise to the project which gives me confidence they are going to create a great product and run a successful business. Not only do they combine a variety of different skills sets, but the variation between youth and veteran business experience makes this a very exciting investment. I don’t see them as a competitor to GoPro but certainly a potential acquisition target. I look forward to following them and purchasing a Trace as soon as it’s ready to hit the market.

Andrew is the Co-Founder of CrowdDistrict. After helping a company fund a Kickstarter campaign in 2012, he saw the need for a place for crowdfunding projects to call home. His goal is showcase projects from all platforms and give supporters the projects they want. When he's not working on CrowdDistrict, he's enjoying a craft beer somewhere in Pacific Beach, CA.
CrowdDistrict does not accept any financial compensation for any of the articles written on this site. Each post is from the view of the author and reflects their own opinion.

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